Pakistan keen to transfer Iranian gas to India, China

Pakistan has said it is eager to transfer Iranain gas to India and China after it finalised the text of a multi-billion IPI gas pipeline project with Tehran.

Pakistan has said it is eager to transfer Iranain gas to India and China after it finalised the text of a multi-billion IPI gas pipeline project with Tehran.

Mokhtar Ahmad, advisor to Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, made the remarks after the three-day Iran-Pakistan talks on the USD 7.4 billion pipeline project which resulted in finalisation of the text over the weekend in the absence of India, which is the third partner.

"As we expected, the text of the peace pipeline has been made ready for the signing by the two states' heads," he was quoted as saying by Iranian news agency.

"We faced no obstacle during negotiations and all articles of the peace pipeline contract were smoothly restudied," Ahmad added.

Under current conditions, the Pakistani side had openly and officially announced it would welcome the transfer of Iran's gas to India, China, and any other point via its territory, officials said.

Meanwhile, Iranian oil minister's special envoy for pipeline talks Hojjatollah Ghanimifard said India was also willing to rejoin the pipeline project, expressing hope the contract would be signed by the three sides.

On the profitability of the project, Ghanimifard said: "The issue should not be compared with the presence or absence of one of the two states, Pakistan and India, as all arrangements have been already made for transferring a certain volume of gas to the border." Pakistan and Iran have agreed to revise the pricing formula of the multi-billion gas pipeline project in 2015, paving the way to seal what is being described as a landmark deal.